Court Panel Throws Out POW Judgement (US POW's from Iraq)

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - An appeals court panel threw out a $959 million verdict Friday for U.S. prisoners of war who say they were tortured by the Iraqi military during the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites), ruling Congress never authorized such lawsuits against foreign governments.


The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that said 17 former POWs and 37 family members were entitled to the damages under a federal statute allowing suits involving countries which financed or aided terrorists.


The three-judge panel said the statute only allows lawsuits for pain and suffering if they are filed against agents and officers of those foreign states responsible for the torture who are not acting on behalf of their government.


Thus, even though the lawsuit also names Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), he is immune because the POWs sued him for his alleged activities as Iraq (news - web sites)'s president, the panel said.

~snip~

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&e=7&u=/ap/20040604/ap_on_go_ot/us_pows_iraq_1

[pinniped]

1. The POS * misadmin. finally gets its way.

From past articles about this case POS * was always against the POWs collecting $$ from Iraq. It would cut into halliburton's profits.

------The Iraqi government never appeared in U.S. court to argue its case, leading to the default judgment last July. But the Justice Department (news - web sites) intervened after the POWs sought to be paid from frozen Iraqi assets in the United States, saying the money was needed to rebuild Iraq.
------

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Maybe I'm confused, but what was the point behind the original...

...judgement in the first place? Looked like political grandstanding to me, to offset the torture charges against us.

Putting the shoe on the other foot for a moment, do you believe for even one second that Afghan and Iraqi "detainees" will EVER get money from the NeoCon Junta for false imprisonment?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

5. This case...

has been longstanding and in effect before Bush took office. Since he got in, ASscrack & Justice has been fighting it tooth and nail.

[susanna]

6. Huh?

This suit has been going on for years. I don't think the award happened when the torture photos appeared...I thought it was much earlier, maybe early-mid 2003. Anyone?

[saigon68]

3. Thanks a lot you CHIMP mother F---KER

YES Vets vote for this HORSE'S ASS

[MasonJar]

4. Some new Kerry voters, if we play it right. We can change those

statistics on vets voting for the chimp/chump.